1. Field
The invention is in the field of spill resistant lids or caps for containers such as beverage cups or glasses.
2. State of the Art
There are various lids or caps currently available to place on and over the top of coffee and soft drink cups and glasses and other liquid containers, such as soup cups, to help keep the contents of the cup or glass from spilling as the cup or glass is carried by the user or is carried in vehicles such as cars. A common type of lid is a disposable lid made of thin plastic material which is snapped onto the top of paper or plastic soft drink or hot drink cups or other containers at fast food restaurants. Most such lids have an access or drinking hole through which a straw can pass for drinking or an access or drinking hole through which the contents can pass when the cup, glass, or other container is tipped by the user so the user can drink directly from the cup, glass, or other container. For some containers, such as soup cups containing soup having chunks of material therein, such as meat or vegetable chunks, a larger hole than that normally required for drinking a beverage is usually preferred so the chunks can pass therethrough. The larger the hole in the lid, however, the more the chance of spillage by the liquid in the container splashing through the hole.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,210,256, 4,441,623, and 4,350,260 show lids with closed access or drinking holes of various configurations which can be pushed open by a user when the user desires to drink from the cup. The holes close again when the user stops pushing, thereby requiring continuing effort and affirmative action by the user to open and keep the drinking hole open when drinking or otherwise discharging the contents from the container.
The present invention provides an access or drinking hole or opening in a spill resistant lid which can be easily opened when a user wants to drink or have other access to the contents of the container and closed when the user wants the hole closed. When opened, the drinking hole will remain open without being held open by the user until it is closed by action of the user to close the hole. The lid includes a central lid portion or surface which covers the container opening and a spout or mouthpiece which rises above the lid surface and is aligned with the drinking hole. A deformable section, such as a cylindrical section, runs from the mouthpiece toward the central lid portion, preferably substantially diagonally inwardly and downwardly from the mouthpiece to the central lid portion. The deformable section is separable with respect to the central lid portion so the deformable section can be inverted toward the mouthpiece to create a drinking opening or hole in the lid to provide access to the inside of the covered container. The inverted deformable section, when inverted, is restrained against the mouthpiece just over center of the deformable section deformation so stays in open position. A small deflection on the mouthpiece toward the central portion will deflect the deformable section back over center and it will snap into closed position again. Thus, when desired to close the drinking opening or hole, the deformable section is deflected slightly inwardly away from the mouthpiece and it will snap back to its original position over the hole thereby closing the hole.
The deformable section will generally extend from the raised portion to the lid surface where it is cut at the intersection with the lid surface, either as part of the manufacturing process or by the user based upon a perforated or scored line at the intersection provided as part of the manufacturing process, to separate it from the lid surface. This cut allows the deformable section to then be deformed over center toward the mouthpiece so that it remains in open position. Moving the deformable section opens a hole in the lid surface. Alternately, the cut can be made above the lid surface so that the deformable section is that which extends from the mouthpiece to the cut. An extension from the lid surface is formed extending from the lid surface to the cut.
Rather than providing a mouthpiece toward the edge of the lid, the deformable section can extend from a raised portion of the lid located as desired on the lid, such as at the center of the lid.